Mother's Day Surprise
by SavvyKitten
Summary: Resuming the Cuddy baby story that was so egregiously left in the dust. Finally updated again.
1. Prologue

_Welcome to my first ever fanfic! I've been patrolling this site for a while—some of you may have gotten reviews from me—but this is the first story of my very own (Yay!). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to think of anything to write about that really tickled my fancy until now. All of a sudden, as I was (and still am) sitting in my bathtub, and the light bulb flashed on (if you look hard enough, you can still see it hovering over my shoulder)…it's Mother's Day! Since TPTB have practically dropped the Cuddy baby line (don't think I didn't notice), I figured, what better a time to bring it back up again! I don't really have any ideas as to where this story will go (beyond what I'm sure will be the second chapter), so any suggestions would really be appreciated. Thanks!_

_Oh and the …_

_Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing on here; you'd be seeing this on television. Seriously. Duh._

* * *

"Come on Addy, honey…you can do it!" encouraged Cuddy from her hunched down position, wiggling her fingers enticingly at the small figure in the frilly pink nightgown who was valiantly trying to stay standing. Gravity, it seems, had other plans for her.

With a resounding _plop_, the little girl fell flat on her bottom. Instantly worried, Cuddy made a motion to go to her, but stopped almost immediately. The cry she was expecting never came. Instead, a look of consternation had appeared on the girl's face and Cuddy was unable to stifle a laugh. The girl's attention was peaked at the sound, and she turned her face towards Cuddy, the scowl deepening. "What do you expect my little cretin?" questioned Cuddy, standing up and going over to her daughter. "You sure are ambitious, trying to walk at 8 months," she cooed, the little girl reaching up to her mother to be held.

"Up." The command was simple, but its effect was profound.

"You sure sound like your Daddy," Cuddy frowned as she picked up her daughter, holding her close. Pausing for a moment, Cuddy couldn't help but look back over the past year and a half. She still couldn't believe that after trying for so long, she was finally a mother. It had been terrible. Two failed attempts, a miscarriage…at times it seemed almost surreal.

Addy's small hands worked their way into her mother's hair, wrapping around the dark curls. "Adrienne," Cuddy began, being pulled from her reverie, "no pulling Mommy's hair." Blue met blue as Cuddy's daughter looked into her eyes, the scowl suddenly gone—in its stead, an angelic, innocent smile. She carefully detangled her daughter's hands from her hair and couldn't help but smile, muttering, "You can play innocent just like your Daddy too."

Cuddy carried Addy upstairs and into the first room on the right—the nursery. As she set her daughter into her crib for her late-morning nap, she couldn't help but reminisce. After placing a kiss on Addy's forehead and smoothing down the blanket, she quietly went and sat down in the rocking chair across from the crib, pulling her robe tight around her. Back and forth she creaked, pausing occasionally to look over at her daughter. When Addy's eyes had finally closed and her breathing became slow and steady, Cuddy decided it was safe to leave her for a while. Turning on the baby monitor, she quietly exited the room, heading back downstairs for the kitchen.

Opening the door, she wasn't altogether surprised to see that the kitchen wasn't empty. She didn't need to see his broad back for her to know who it was; he was the only one who would dare to break into her place. Cuddy sat herself down on one of the barstools at the counter, letting out an audible sigh. He didn't acknowledge her in the slightest. Picking up yesterday's newspaper, she shot his back a glare and then followed his lead, ignoring him. Halfway through the first article, she took a peek over the top of the paper. Mere inches away, his eyes were boring into hers. She let out a quick, "Jeez," and glared at him, setting her paper down.

"Strawberry or banana?"

"Huh?" She looked beyond him at the mess on her counter—fresh fruit, frozen yogurt, milk.

He smirked at her, continuing,_ "_On second hand, forget that. I'm thinking Strawberry-Banana. I know how you like it both ways." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Exasperatedly throwing her hands in the air, she exclaimed, "It was one time in college!"

It was too late—his back was already turned to her. Huffily, she picked her newspaper back up and started reading, knowing that no matter what she said, strawberry-banana it would be. The blender roared to life and after a few minutes, her theory was proved correct when a giant strawberry-banana smoothie was pushed into her hands.

"Where's the whipped cream?" she inquired, finally discarding the paper.

"Oh, I think we should save that for later. We wouldn't want to wake the baby up," he quipped, sliding onto the stool next to her, his own strawberry-banana smoothie in his hand and face clean of all emotion.

She paused, thinking, and decided she might as well bring up the conversation they were both thinking about. "So…" she began, trying to make eye-contact with him, "does this mean you're moving in?" She took a small sip of the smoothie, surprised that it tasted pretty good, and waited for his response. Minutes passed…

Finally, he set his smoothie down onto the cool granite counter and thoughtfully replied, "When I entered into this agreement…" he stared at his hands, "I didn't think about _this_. I didn't think I'd be a good father or that I would even want to be an active participant in the baby's life…but now, now…" He trailed off, his eyes searching hers. Before he had the chance to resume, she had placed her hand on his, and leaning over, she had kissed him. Taking control of the situation, he kissed her back, harder, and more full of passion than he had intended. Her head began to spin as--

_BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!_

"Wha--" she began, tearing her lips from his. Suddenly, everything began to swirl and fade. Opening her eyes, she found her self lying in her bed, in her home—alone. She glared at her alarm clock before shutting it off with more force than necessary. "Shit…" she exclaimed, heaving herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

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_Muwahahaha. That was fun, wasn't it? So, if you all want to tell me how you liked this…I guess I'll continue based on the kind of reviews I receive. Thanks!_


	2. Girlfriend

_Well, here we are again. Although I wasn't 100 percent satisfied with the first chapter, it was still pretty fun to write. I like thinking of Cuddy as a Mommy to some little kid…warm fuzzy feelings ensue. And I'm glad I tricked you guys. Muwahaha. That WAS fun. :) Anyway, I have finals this week (Studying? What's that?) so updates may be far and few. I suddenly felt inspired though, so here's chapter two (I may get another one in before Tuesday...depends on how nice you all are to me). I'm really anal about details, although I had to let the first chapter slide since it HAD to get out on Mother's Day. (Sigh) Hopefully, this chapter will roll of the tongue a little more smoothly. Enjoy. :) Oh, btw, since Cuddy is my favorite character, this is mainly going to be about her…and her thoughts will be in italics. _

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Turning onto the sidewalk in front of her house, Lisa cranked up the volume on her Ipod, Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" blaring into her eardrums. Yeah, she liked to feel like a teenager every now-and-then…and after last night's dream, well, she sure as hell needed to take her mind off things. Her solution was simple—some loud music and a run. _There just isn't anything like your feet pounding the pavement in time with a good song._

Bending down to lace up her gray and pink tennis shoes, she glanced around furtively. Noticing that she was alone, she began to sing aloud at the top of her lungs. "I don't like your girlfriend…I think you need a new one! I could be your girlfriend…" Someone tapped on her shoulder and she screeched slightly, standing up abruptly, and pulling the buds out of her ears. It was her next door neighbor, Tommy Wells, the handsome 40-something bachelor. _Jeez. Stalker… _She gave him a quick once-over. _Tall, dark brown hair, murky green eyes, beautiful smile—well kempt. What a looker…he's not too bad, but he's not…God, get over it Lisa. It was a dream._ She shook her head softly, as if to shake the thought from her mind. "Yeah?" she inquired as Tommy stared at her, flashing him an obligatory smile.

"I was just thinking," he began, his eyes roving over her body unashamedly, taking in the cloth capris that hugged her curves and the pink tank top that clung just a little too tightly, before finally meeting her eyes, "if you really wanted to be my girlfriend," he smirked, "maybe we should go out for drinks first."

_Idiot. _"Drinks? Really?" Her smile widened. She could play along...

"Yes. You, me, the Library," he responded pointedly.

"The library? Do you hide the liquor in-between the books on the dusty shelves or something?" she asked, frowning slightly.

Tommy threw his head back and laughed, "You've never been to the Library, huh?" He continued before she was able to interrupt testily. She was supposed to be clearing her head and this dolt just came and cluttered it up some more. _Men. _"It's a bar near the community college. Clever name, huh? Kids just tell their parents, 'Hey, I'm going to the Library,' and they go party." _Pick up a lot of those kids at the bar, huh?_

Lisa took her time, acting like she was putting some thought into the matter as he droned on and on about the stupid Library. _Who gives a shit? I'm too busy working and riding a certain doctor's ass to go hang out with some drunken frat boys. _She mused, smiling. _…Although, that could be kind of fun. _She shook her head.

"Is that a no?" questioned Tommy, giving her one of those seductive, 'I'm a sex god, be my goddess' smiles that he was sure would work on her.

"Sorry," Lisa responded, her smile back in place, "I've just got a lot on my mind, with being the Dean of Medicine and… expecting an addition to the family." She gestured towards her stomach. _Where did THAT come from?_

"Oh," he sputtered, suddenly wordless. _He looks like a fish out of water…gaping for air. What a moron. Breathe fishy, breathe…Oh look, the fishy is settling back down. _

"Well, how about some o.j. at my house then?" _…what?!_

She wasn't sure, but by the look that he was giving her, she must have been staring at him with her mouth wide open, a look of scrutiny on her face, for at least a minute. He was beginning to squirm uncomfortably under her gaze.

_What am I supposed to say? Just kidding! I'm not knocked up! …No. Oh, the morning sickness is just sooooo bad; I'd probably end up with my head in your toilet. I don't want you to have to clean up THAT mess. …No. I have to check with my "baby daddy" and ask for permission. He's awfully protective of the four of us. HA! Wouldn't that be a sight?_

"I can't, sorry," Lisa began, watching his crestfallen face. _Why does this guy care? You think he'd be running for the hills with the whole "I'm pregnant" deal._

He cut in before she could finish. "Not to sound judgmental, but I don't think a pregnant woman would have a bottle of wine sitting on her coffee table." Confused, she looked at where he was pointing. Sure as shit, her curtains were pulled back, a bottle of wine staring at her from the living room. She had used it last night to comfort herself after a long day, but had forgotten to put it away before trudging off to her bedroom in a stupor.

She turned back to him. Anyone could read her embarrassment at being caught in a lie. "I'm sorry, Tommy, I…"

He cut her off yet again. "Don't bother with apologizing to me. Come have a drink with me tonight and we'll call it even."

"I don't know when I'll be back from work," she argued.

"Call me. Whenever." His words were final and with that he walked away.

_Shit. Looks like I have a date tonight…_ If not before, then especially now, Lisa Cuddy had a reason to run.

* * *

_So, I know I referred to her as "Cuddy" in chapter one, but in this chapter, I was testing out "Lisa." I'm not sure which one I like better. You get so use to her being "Cuddy" that "Lisa" sounds weird sometimes. Anyway, this chapter wasn't meant to go in this direction, it just--did. Whoops on my part. Guess we'll see about that Tommy huh? Gosh, when are we gonna get to that Huddy lovin? LOL._


	3. Pain

_Okay… I'm finally done with my first year of college (yay!!!!). Sorry about the lack of updates; I had finals, a graduation dinner for my friend, a Walk for Diabetes, building the deck, work, et cetera. I think I've revised this chapter at least three times…damn writer's block. :P Anyway, I solemnly swear that I'm not getting out of my bathtub until this is done and posted! Oh, anonymous people can now review (hint, hint!)… And again, Cuddy's thoughts are in italics. _

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At precisely 7:00 A.M. Dr. Lisa Cuddy walked through the doors of the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The run she had taken, followed by the ice-cold shower, had done wonders for clearing her head and invigorating her body. If she had any doubts about her decision regarding Tommy's offer, it wasn't visible. If anything, she appeared to be even surer of herself this morning—her stride was more purposeful; her smile, wider; and the glint in her eyes, brighter. 

Cuddy had made it to her office without being disturbed by anyone—annoyed patients, House, harassed nurses, House, boring investors, House—the list went on. _It's still early though._

Opening her dark office and flicking on the lights, Cuddy went over to her private bathroom and hung up her outfit for later that evening. She passed a quick glance over the red, empire waist dress. _Not too fancy, but not too casual either. Deep neckline, no sleeves, short—just above the knees. _Matched with the 3-inch pumps she had brought along, she was going to look killer. _Might as well make him drool a little… _Going over to her computer and flicking it on, she took a mental note—_Have secretary call Tommy Wells and set up date at the Library—8 P.M. _

While waiting for her computer to boot up, she shot a glare at the stack of paperwork that had driven her to the bottle of wine last night. She thought she had made some headway; however, the pile seemed even larger than it was when she had left. _Argh… _It wasn't stacked neatly into piles like she had it either! Rage was evident in her every feature as it dawned upon her. _He broke into my office again! _She made a low growl while reaching for the upper-most file folders. _John Hawkings--Celiac disease, Rachel Munson—Aspergillosis, Jane Herold—Listeriosis, Bobbi Jo Erickson, Cortney Price, James Willison… _She went through file after file, tossing each one aside. _These aren't my cases…argh, HOUSE! He must have waited MONTHS building up these files just to dump them on me all at once. Grrr… _She grimaced, drawing her eyebrows together and placing her head in her hands. _He's not even here and manages to annoy the hell out of me… This is not going to be a good day. _

After a few minutes of kneading her forehead, trying to force away the migraine that was threatening to take over, she went through the other file folders, tossing them aside one by one. _House's…House's…House's…_ Reaching the bottom of the pile, Cuddy found a hastily scribbled note which read:

Cuddles,

Looked like you were enjoying your paperwork last night. Enjoy mine today. : )

Cuddy fumed inwardly, still looking at the note. She had finally lost her temper—and it was only 8 A.M. "ASS!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air, just as her secretary walked into her office.

Where her previous secretary would have run out of the room crying, red braids swinging wildly around her face, this secretary was starkly different. Although he had only been working for Cuddy a little over three weeks, she knew he was meant to stay. Nothing ever surprised him or made him uneasy and he knew her—well, at least better than most people. He knew when she was mad, when she was hungry, when she needed to go home and rest. To her, Evan was more than just a secretary; he was the person she had quickly come to rely upon to keep her sane—especially when a certain someone was constantly driving her insane.

"Sorry," she mumbled, catching sight of him and offering a weak smile. He looked good today. When he had initially begun working for her, he wore a full suit, tie—the whole shebang. It had made her a little uncomfortable with how proper he looked when she was a little lax in that department. She probably wouldn't admit it out loud, but she liked feeling like a woman—liked the attention she so seldom received. So, quite early on, she had told Evan that he could tone it down to loafers, dress pants, and a button-up shirt.

"No problem," he smiled at her knowingly. "Do you need some coffee? I got you a Venti Dulce de Leche Latte from Starbucks." He held out the tray before him, showing one extremely large cup of coffee and another, smaller one for him.

Cuddy gave him a genuine smile as he moved through the door and towards her desk. "Have I ever told you that I love you?" Cuddy responded, carefully taking the full cup of coffee from him and downing a gulp. She closed her eyes. _God, this is Heaven._ Her day just got a little bit better.

When she opened her eyes, Cuddy noticed that Evan had put some Excedrin Migraine on her desk and was in the process of cleaning up the mess that was House's files. She popped the pills into her mouth and washed them down with some of the warm goodness that was her addiction.

"Evan," she finally stood and touched his shoulder, "leave them." Understanding that he had been dismissed, Evan turned to leave, taking a sip of his coffee. He had just opened the door when Cuddy remembered her date. "Oh Evan, I need you to call a Mr. Tommy Wells and tell him 'The Library at eight,' okay?" she said, unknowingly grinning at him.

"No problem boss," he grinned back at her. He knew code when he heard it. The Library—yeah right. Unfortunately for Cuddy, Evan wasn't the only one who had heard her. Before her secretary could halt the man's progress, House limped into Cuddy's office.

"On the prowl once again, huh? You gonna let him buy you a drink first or go straight for the goods?" House smirked.

Cuddy had already sat down behind her desk again, rubbing her temples furiously. Without missing a beat she said, "Whatever it is, no. No jumping ahead in the line for any machine, no random tests, no surgeries. Get out and take your files with you. I'm sure you can get your team to do your work for you—again. You don't need me." She didn't even bother to look up at him. Her head was killing her and she couldn't think properly with all the pounding.

When she chanced a glance upwards, to where House should have been, he wasn't there. _Woah, he left me alone without a fight for once. Amaz—_

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly by strong hands on the back of her neck. Startled, she jumped up in her chair, but his hands held her firmly in place. She tried to turn around to face him but—

"Stop moving," he commanded lightly.

"What are you doing?" she responded, confused. _He normally doesn't sound so…caring._

"And you call yourself a doctor?" he scoffed, smiling down at her although she couldn't see him. "They call this a massage. M. A. S. S.--" House could tell Cuddy was getting prickly by the way her spine stiffened. "Calm down and stop moving. It'll help you relax."

He was so right. His hands were like magic, soothing her mind and body. Cuddy just sat there, eyes closed, body leaning towards his touch, allowing him to take control. For once they weren't fighting with each other to get the upper-hand; she had conceded easily. "God, that feels good," she moaned. She opened her eyes in astonishment. _Did I just say that out loud? _

House chuckled. "These hands have many special _talents_," he growled seductively, but she had already relaxed again. He began moving his hands down to her shoulders, going under her shirt to touch bare skin. He was actually surprised that she hadn't slapped his hands away yet. Being even more daring, he began fiddling with her bra straps, slowly sliding them down her shoulders. No response. House moved to look at Cuddy, hands still under her shirt—she had fallen asleep. "Aw, no fun," House said in his best whiney voice.

At the sound Cuddy's head jerked upwards. _What the hell is going on?_ She stood up abruptly and turned, running straight into House's chest. Had she been a little less disoriented and had he been a little steadier on his feet, they probably would have been okay. As it was, House grabbed onto Cuddy to prevent himself from falling, but ended up just bringing her down with him. Cuddy let out a scream of surprise as she landed on top of her employee.

Practically straddling him in her skirt, face-to-face, Cuddy tried to pull herself up. House deftly wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her back down. "House," she warned. _Oh, too close…too close! What if someone walked in on this?! _

House's leg was throbbing, but he was enjoying her anxiety too much to pay it much notice. "Shush," he commanded in a low voice. "You don't want someone to come in thinking you were doing something naughty with your diagnostician, would you?" he grinned broadly. Out of all the things she was—flushed, embarrassed, and uncomfortable, the reasonable side of her said that House wouldn't let go until he wanted to and she couldn't escape from him on her own. _Might as well speed up the process_, she thought, stilling against him. He loosened his hold on her, somewhat surprised. "The girls wanted to come out and play before," he glanced down at her chest, "but you went and fell asleep." He frowned. "And since this is the best view I've had of the funbags in quite a while, I thought I'd enjoy it." He winked at her.

Before she had known what House was doing, he had leant up and placed a chaste peck on her lips, adding seriously, "And you're wrong. I do need you." Flustered, it took a moment for Cuddy to notice that the door had swung open and a scandalous voice was booming, "Doctor Cuddy!"

_

* * *

So yeah, I had to get a little Huddy in there. I tried not to get it too OOC…but I think it's hard to avoid with Huddy scenes. Anyway, let's take a vote here…who do YOU want Cuddy with? Do you want the confident Tommy, the caring Evan (you didn't think I'd throw in ANOTHER love interest, didja?), or the awesomely sarcastic and brilliant House? Oooh, it could be a love square…kind of…er…maybe not. :) So you vote and I'll get out of this bathtub. ;) _


	4. The Boy

_Greetings once again from my bathtub! So, I'm sitting here (obviously), steadily watching my stats rise on this story except for one… Any guesses as to which? THE REVIEWS (go figure). Now, I know I can be lazy at times and be a little lax in my reviewing, but hey, I'm trying to change. Good, bad, or otherwise, can you at least leave me **ONE WORD** (It'll take you all of 5-10 seconds)? Please? I swear I won't update for an eternity if I don't get some more reviews. (j/k—I couldn't do that to Huddytheultimate—LOL) So… one word. Examples: Awesome, intriguing, humorous, sad, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, daring, blasé, dreadful, and finally—Huddyrific (lol). With that, it's story time:D _

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Cuddy stared up in horror at the owner of the voice as she tried to scramble away from House…or at least stop herself from straddling him. Her skirt was slowly riding up her body and that just looked…well…_bad_. House, on the other hand, wasn't moving at all; his grin was a little wider, but he kept his hands firmly in place on her hips, not allowing her to escape from their current position.

Cuddy looked into his eyes and glared at him. Although Gregory House may lie, his eyes did not. _Those eyes…_ They were sparkling with amusement—amusement at how embarrassed she was at being found in such a compromising position. She wasn't really surprised to see that he was enjoying the scene though. After all, he _did _spread those rumors about them sleeping together. _Why shouldn't he add more fuel to the fire?_ she thought contemptuously. Cuddy squirmed against his grasp, trying to stand, but to no avail—he was just too strong. _"Cripple" my ass._

Before Cuddy could yell at House to get off, or at least offer an explanation for why she "assuming the position" with an employee, the intruder had walked huffily out of the door, slamming it viciously behind her.

"That's glass ya know! And learn to knock…we were getting busy!" House yelled at the retreating figure. He smiled up at his boss. She was quite the sight—face flushed, chest heaving, and eyes blazing—hot.

"House," she finally yelled, losing her temper, "GET THE HELL OFF ME!"

He chuckled amusedly and removed his hands from her waist, watching her struggle to stand while maintaining a little decorum. Try as she might, he still got a flash of garters before she was able to fully retreat. "Last time I checked," he began, getting to his feet slowly and advancing towards her, "you were the one on top." House smirked at her disheveled state, realizing how easily he could take advantage of the situation.

Cuddy had to think quickly as he backed her against the desk, his tall frame looming over her. He was bringing up college…again…a subject which never seemed to bore him. "Somebody needed to take charge and be the man. You obviously weren't going to," she spat.

"Do overs?" he questioned with mock innocence. "It might be a little hard with the bum leg, but if you're up for it, I'm willing to take one for the…team." He took a pointed glance at her chest. There was something in his eyes…_Lust? Love? What?_

"In your dreams," she retorted, knowing that her response was less than adequate. She could feel her face turning red, the blood rushing to it. If she didn't do something soon, there would be a lot more going on here than just a little kiss. She would either murder him or jump him right in her office. Neither sounded very Dean of Medicine-like.

"Weak and you know it. You getting…hot?" he questioned, amusement etching every feature of his face. He reached around her, brushing against bare skin, and grabbed one of the file folders. He began fanning her briskly, mussing her curls.

She shot a glare at him and quickly ripped the folder from his hands. "Uh-oh," he said, "I think the Ice Queen has returned."

Turning around and setting the folder back on the stack, she lifted the entire pile up, turned to House, and shoved the whole mess to his chest. He smirked knowingly. Every time things got too close to that invisible line, she would inevitably change the subject. "Go talk to her and get someone else to do your paperwork. Then get your ass to the clinic." She pushed him back from her.

"Hey," he grumped, "be nice to the cripple."

"Don't play the cripple card with me," she scoffed, fixing her hair. "GO!" She pointed to the door impatiently, and then sat down at her desk, pointedly ignoring him. The only sign she had of his departure was the slow _swish _and _click_ of the door closing behind him. _That was close._

It couldn't have been more than 30 seconds after his exit that Evan entered.

"Dr. Cuddy?" he questioned uncertainly.

"Yeah, Evan?" she responded, head in hands once again.

"Do you want me to…reheat your coffee?" he asked, approaching her desk.

She looked up at him. _Sweet guy. What a contrast. _"No, that's fine, Evan. I was about to head out to the clinic anyway," she responded.

Standing up and smoothing out her still-rumpled clothing, she put her lab coat on. "Thanks anyway," she said, smiling, as she walked though proffered door.

Two hours later and House still hadn't shown up for clinic duty. _Why shouldn't I be surprised? _she asked herself. The clinic was short-handed today and she really needed him there. She, however, couldn't spend half the day trying to find out where he was hiding with his PSP and subsequently, spend the other half berating him into actually working. _Guess I'll have to take over a room today,_ she thought irritably while heading for Exam Room 1. _As if I don't have enough to do… _Her thoughts wondered to her schedule for the day: board meeting, paperwork, consults, appointments with potential investors…and now, clinic duty.

Opening the door to the room, she was astounded at what she found. House was treating a…patient. _A patient? _She blinked her eyes rapidly, as if her mind was playing tricks on her. _A patient._ His presence caught her off-guard and his grin acknowledged the fact. _He's up to something…he never comes willingly. _Her eyes narrowed at him. _What is he trying to pull?_

In the middle of deciphering the riddle that was House, a squeak caught her attention. It had come from the care-worn child House was trying to examine. _He can't be more than five._ Cuddy looked brusquely around the room before her eyes returned to the child. _No guardian...the kid is alone with House. Poor boy. _The boy seemed frightened; he was curled up on the exam table as far from the doctor as possible. _I'd be scared too,_ she thought sympathetically.

"House," she began, looking pointedly at the boy and then to House, "where are the boy's parents?"

"What? I have to play babysitter to the kid's parents too? It's not good enough that I'm saving his life, huh?" He turned to the boy, "Hey brat, where's your Mommy?"

With that, the little boy hopped off the exam table and ran to Cuddy, clutching her knees and throwing her off-balance. Luckily, before she was able to fall, two strong hands had lifted her back upright. "Thanks," she grimaced as he released her; however, he wasn't looking at her, but rather, over her shoulder. She turned her head to see what was so interesting and the group of nurses behind the desk diverted their eyes, quickly pretending to work again. "Great," she mumbled, "as if you don't cause enough gossip…" She turned back to him, "By the way, did you talk to her?"

As if he couldn't read through the lines. More like 'Is she gonna blab to anyone about us almost doing the nasty in the Dean of Medicine's office?' He smirked before replying, "Wouldn't beat the latest rumor I already sent out."

She gave him an amused half-smile and was about to respond tartly when she heard sobbing. Realizing that she had completely forgotten about the little boy, she kneeled down to him, and placing a hand on his dark hair, she asked, "What's the matter, honey?"

The boy wrapped his arms around her neck tightly and House smirked at the sight, leaning back against the exam table. "I don't know where my Mommy and Daddy are," he sobbed, the moisture from his eyes evident on her skin.

"It's okay, honey. Why don't I help you look for them?"

He nodded into her neck.

"Can you tell me what your name is?"

He sniffled a little before responding, "Jacob."

"Well Jacob," she began, in the voice she reserved especially for small children, "do you remember the last time you saw your parents?"

He nodded once again.

"Where at, honey?" she asked, pulling back from him to look into his bright green eyes.

Jacob seemed anxious at the loss of contact. He started to babble and the two doctors only caught bits-and-pieces of what he was saying, "Hid behind cowch…Mommy…scweam…Daddy…yell…bang… no more scweaming…bang…sticky wed stuff eveywhere…Mommy and Daddy sweeping in da wed…" When he was done, he reached for her once again and she took him in her arms, holding him closely as she stood up. House and Cuddy exchanged knowing glances.

"Hey kid," House said, in what could be considered his 'nice' voice, "are you here with some big old lady with gray hair and bad teeth?"

"Nasty bweath too," Jacob squeaked, hiding his face in Cuddy's curls.

House laughed mirthlessly as Cuddy walked out of the room with the boy, "Kid has spunk," he exclaimed to the empty room.

Walking over to the nurses' station, Cuddy asked the boy for the lady's name, to which she got a mumbled, "don't remember."

"Is it alright if I set you down now, Jacob?" she asked, causing the boy to cling more tightly to her. Cuddy looked to the nurses for some assistance. It wasn't easy carrying a child around while wearing 3-inch stilettos. Unfortunately, the nurses were ignoring her—they were still valiantly pretending to be productive. Cuddy glanced at them, noticing they had their noses in open files, but that their eyes weren't moving at all. "Listen ladies," she said exasperatedly, "you can gossip later, just help me out here." _Note to self: smaller heels. These things are killing me with carrying this kid around._

One nurse finally dropped the façade, setting her file down and placing her hands around Jacob's waist, trying to pry him off the Dean of Medicine. The boy sent out a shrill cry at the attempt and squirmed to get closer to Cuddy. _Poor thing. He must really be traumatized about his parents. _Cuddy flicked her hand at the nurse to stop and tried to calm the crying boy, rubbing his back and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It's okay sweetheart. It's okay. Shush….shush…" she soothed.

Just as he was calming down, a loud voice assaulted their ears. "JACOB HILLSBOROUGH! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!" Cuddy looked in the direction of the voice, the boy tensing in her arms. _Just as House described her…except he didn't mention loud and annoying. She's scaring the kid!_ Cuddy placed one of her hands over Jacob's ear and pressed his head to her shoulder, trying to help him block out the sound.

Cuddy was boiling mad, feeling the need to tear this woman to shreds. _Yelling at a scared boy who has been through so much…she isn't fit to handle children. _She was preparing to berate the social worker—anyone could see her eyebrows rushing together and a frown forming—but she didn't get the chance. Moving deftly from the exam room, House had intercepted the woman and drew her into the room, motioning to Cuddy, "Take the kid to your office. I'll take care of her." With that, he closed the door.

_

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_


	5. Getting Cuddly

_Hello again my lovelies. So I'm thinking—I'm too ticked about the season finale (that one scene doesn't count for real __Huddy__ action) to care about reviews. Stubborn look __Don't__ review me; I don't want them. __Really.__ Don't. No. I'm serious! Ah! Well, if you're going to be like that, fine, you can review me. :D On a more serious note, I'm going to try to switch up my writing a little. Previous chapters seem a little too rushed with scenes (the dialogue) and not descriptive enough. Tell me __whatcha__ think. _

Half an hour later, Jacob was planted firmly in Cuddy's lap, at her desk, and being sent into peals of laughter. The little boy seemed light as a feather now that Cuddy had finally gotten off her feet—and she had found it moderately easy to jounce him around on her knee a bit—only moderately though because her clothing really was rather constricting. It, however, seemed to be enough for Jacob. "Weeeee!" he exclaimed on a particularly high jounce, landing with a _thud_ back onto Cuddy's lap. Looking at the boy, Cuddy couldn't help but smile broadly at his obvious delight, and how such a simple thing could bring joy to someone so innocent. Up and down he went, over and over, laughing the entire time. It couldn't help but brighten Cuddy's day a little bit.

Fifteen minutes later and Cuddy was exhausted. "Jacob, would you like to read a book?" she asked, feeling slightly out of breath. Her legs were getting sore from all the bouncing and she was starting to feel each _thunk_as gravity drew him back down to earth and he landed on her knee. _I'm going to be full of bruises __tomorrow_she mused, smiling. Somehow, a few minor bruises seemed like a small price to pay.

"SPONGEBOB!" Jacob yelled, grinning from ear-to-ear and clapping his hands. Cuddy was mildly startled by the outburst of enthusiasm, her eyes widening slightly, before her face calmed again. _Spongebob__ it is…_

Luckily for them both, Cuddy didn't have to search long before scrounging up a book on Spongebob Squarepants. She always kept a few children's books in her office—just in case. What the case might be, she didn't really know, but she wasn't a woman who went unprepared. She even went so far as to have the books switched out regularly for whichever ones the children were into at the time. For some reason which had eluded her, Spongebob had been sitting in her office for the better part of a year—and now she was finally going to see what all the fuss was about.

Cracking the book open, Cuddy began to read the tale to Jacob, who had reestablished his place on her lap, pausing what seemed like every five seconds so he could talk about the pictures on the page. She let him ramble where others would have silenced him, for through the story of Spongebob Squarepants, Cuddy was able to find out a lot about the boy. Not only was he in love with this "Spongebob," but when he pointed to a picture of his favorite character, she found out that he also loved the color yellow—not blue, like most boys his age. Seeing the character who was a starfish, he also pointed, exclaiming, "That's Patwick…he's silly." For some reason, this statement charmed her immensely. Maybe it was the grin on his face or maybe she was just…happy; she didn't really know.

Turning from the book to look into Jacob's face, she smiled, replying, "Just like you huh, Jacob?" Tickling his sides, she couldn't help but laugh aloud as he squirmed and giggled. _I could get used to this,_ she though, her smile widening. His laugh seemed so uninhibited—so pure, and something in the depths of her soul responded to it. It was as if that flicker of hope, which she had so carefully guarded, had finally ignited into a full-on flame. _I want this._

Cuddy's hands stilled as the emotion coursed through her veins and Jacob looked up at her, wondering why the fun had stopped so abruptly. "Arr we gonna finish the stowy?" he asked her. Being still a few moments longer, Cuddy finally forced herself to shake the feeling off. _Que__ sera, sera,_ she thought; _What__ will be, will be._

Looking down at the figure, she exclaimed, "Of course! We have to find out what happens to Spongebob, don't we?" Through all of her smiles and exclamations, Cuddy was getting worried. While Jacob continued on with the story, pointing out the pictures he enjoyed, she chanced a glance at the clock on her computer. She was startled when she discovered that it read "12:07 P.M." _Noon already?_she asked herself incredulously. House had been with the social worker for nigh on an hour. _What could they possibly be talking about for this long?_

A loud _thwack_pulled her from her thoughts—or maybe more so from her worries. The hospital just couldn't afford another lawsuit right now—not after the last one. Looking down, she noticed the book had been dropped haphazardly onto her desk and had slid to the floor. She then realized that the figure which had been bouncing around for the last hour had finally stilled against her. Looking at him, she could tell that he was fighting off sleep; rubbing his eyes with his small hands, Jacob yawned loudly, snuggling deeper into her body.

Taking the hint that it was naptime, Cuddy cradled his small body in her arms, brushing his hair out of his face and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Minutes passed as she rocked him gently, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. When he had finally been lulled into a deep sleep, thumb in mouth, a gentle tapping resonated off her door.

"Come in," she said quietly, trying not to disturb the slumbering child. She watched his face as he slept—vaguely hearing the soft _swish _and _click_ which meant someone had entered her office.

The moment was ruined when she heard the timid inquiry. "Doctor Cuddy?" sounded a woman's voice…no, THE woman's voice. Cuddy prepared her glare, fury coursing through her veins once again, as she raised her eyes to the social worker's.

"I see House didn't eat you alive," she snapped, albeit quietly. "How unfortunate." Deepening her frown and increasing her scowl, her face more than adequately showed her disapproval, not only of this woman, but of House's apparent lack of handling her properly.

"I'm very sorry about earlier Ma'am, but I need to take the boy now," she responded half-heartedly, ignoring the jibe. The truth was, House did try to "eat her alive." An hour alone with that cantankerous man would make anyone welcome death—and she was no exception.

Silence.

"What's your name?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you what your name was." Cuddy stated in her cold, clipped tone—the tone that was reserved for enemies…and House on occasion. "I want to know the name of the person I will be reporting."

"Ohh-h," stuttered the woman, taking a step back.

"Do you have a problem hearing or can you just not form a cohesive response?" Cuddy snapped.

"I…" she stuttered again.

"Let me help you," Cuddy charged malevolently. "My name is…" She trailed off and was met only with silence. If she had had any patience at the beginning of the conversation, it was now nonexistent. "This is where you fill in the blank ya know," she added sarcastically..

"Jones."

"You don't look like a man to me. But I'm only a doctor; what do I know? What's your first name?"

"Anne."

"Well, Anne Jones, I don't know what you think--" Cuddy began, but her words were cut off abruptly.

"Now, now, Cuddles. Don't go scaring the poor lady any more today," House said I in a patronizing tone, opening the door and limping into the room. "I think she's been traumatized enough for one day."

Cuddy, missing the obvious tension the woman was exuding at House's entrance, addressed her employee, voice rising, "And who the hell do you think you are? You better than anyone else should know not to interrupt someone in the middle of a tirade!" Jacob began to stir slightly in her arms and she looked down at him.

"Mommy?" he asked groggily, looking up at Cuddy.

Without missing a beat, Cuddy's tone had become a light and sweet, and she smiled at the little boy in her arms, cooing, "Shh honey, go back to sleep." Placing another kiss on his forehead, she began to rock him once again, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Minutes passed, and the other two people in the room just stared, silenced by the versatility of the woman that was Lisa Cuddy. Meanwhile, Cuddy's mind was reeling…_God, he called me 'Mommy' and I let him…what is going on with me? …I'm a horrible person. He's going to wake up and realize his Mommy is gone all over again. _

Preparing herself for another round, she looked up at the pair standing in front of her desk, but she couldn't—couldn't argue, couldn't fight—just couldn't. She felt drained, and yet completely full at the same time. The look of resignation she wore must have been blatantly evident, because the social worker took advantage of the situation.

"If you'd like ma'am," she began cautiously, "you could apply to adopt him."

If the woman thought she had been reading the doctor's mind, Cuddy's reaction proved how wrong she was. Every feature on her face became etched in shock as she looked at the woman, absorbing her words—or at least one word. _Adopt. _She hadn't thought of that…but why would she have? She was trying to get pregnant, not looking to take in someone else's child. _I can't be __hasty. I only met the boy a few hours ago…what if he's the spawn of Satan…or worse…just like House! _She took a glance at Jacob, who was sleeping contentedly in her arms. Her heart melted. _What am I thinking? Everything in me says it's right…I can just feel it. Then…then I'll really be his Mommy._

She closed her gaping mouth and a look of serenity slowly appeared on her face. Her mind was set. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, there's not much you can do right now; however, if you come down to the agency, you should be able to start the paperwork."

"Mhm..."

"I just want to let you know though…" the older woman let the thought trail off. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. After all, it wasn't that long ago that she was chewed out not only by Doctor House, but the Dean of Medicine herself. She didn't want a repeat experience.

"Yes?" Cuddy asked impatiently; she was starting to get irritated again. _There's always some hang-up…some glitch. Why can't life ever be simple?_

"Well, generally speaking, they don't like to adopt children out to single parents. And while your job ensures that he would get the best of everything…it…it could also count against you because it's such a demanding position. They may think you won't have enough...time for him."

Cuddy tried to hide her displeasure at the woman's statement and the implication that she not only needed a man to help her take care of a child, but that she would neglect the boy. Plastering a phony smile on her face, she responded mildly, "I see. Thank you Ms. Jones."

"So…would you like to schedule an appointment?"

"No, she would not," House interjected, startling both women. To be honest, they had forgotten he was even in the room. He limped around the desk, turning Cuddy's chair towards him so they were face-to-face. "You're being stupid." He looked at Cuddy intensely, trying to analyze her reaction. He had seen the melee of emotions on her face when that stupid woman had mentioned adoption and knew Cuddy wasn't being rational. "You aren't thinking with your head. You start thinking with your heart and…"

Cuddy raised her hand, making a motion to stop and spoke with surprising venom. "While I can't fight with you about this right now…for obvious reasons," she began, looking down at Jacob in her arms, before making contact with House's eyes once again, "I can tell you this is none of your business…"

"The hell it isn't!" he exclaimed, the sound reverberating through the room.

Cuddy and Ms. Jones both hissed at him. "Watch it, House."

"The brat is ASLEEP." He gestured wildly, lifting up the boy's right arm and, once raised, letting it drop back down to prove his point.

"I don't care. This discussion has gone on far enough. Get out. Get out now." She wrapped her arms protectively around the little figure and began to turn away from House.

Grabbing her chair, he forced it back around so he could glare at her, trying to read her expression. "We aren't done."

She raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a smirk. "We never began."

The double-meaning wasn't lost on his analytical mind. "We'll talk later," he stated matter-of-factly, heading out the door.

* * *

_So, I promise I really am going somewhere with this… methinks the date will be up next. _


	6. The Bathroom

_Hello once again. I know I haven't updated in ages (if you read Something More, you'll know I lost heart in the story). Truth be told, what I'm about to post, I wrote over a month ago. It just…I don't know. I'm not really happy with it…but since I've got this rather nice writer's block right now, I'm just going with it. :) It goes a little fast, but yeah…ya know. Later!_

* * *

The Dean of Medicine closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the window. The coolness of the night was slowly seeping in, offering her but a little comfort; utter exhaustion was wreaking havoc upon not only her body, but her mind as well. Luckily for her, it was finally the end of the day—one hell of an emotional rollercoaster of a day. _The dream... The little boy... The soon-to-be date..._ _The—straddling… _The word tasted bitter even to her mind._ Talk about being bombarded._ She sighed heavily, hoping that with her exhale the load would feel lighter—but it didn't.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, oblivious to the world around her, but the slight sound of a throat being cleared caught her off guard. Startled, she spun around, opening her eyes and blinking rapidly as light assaulted them. Her previously complacent face was marred by a frown as she saw the man perched on the edge of her desk, staring avidly at her. _How the hell did he get in here without me hearing him? Sneaky little bast—_

He made the first move. "You don't want that kid." _Round two._

She sighed heavily, considering her options, before finally settling on the one thing she never did when it came to him—she ran. "We're not having this discussion," she asserted, brushing him off as she sailed smoothly past him. Upon entering her private bathroom, she closed the door, locking it securely behind her. She waited, body slumped against the door, but no sound came from the other room.

When she finally began to relax, a loud voice assaulted her ears. "You don't want that kid!"

_Just pretend you can't hear him and he'll go away, _she thought, rubbing her temples, the throbbing in her head giving her the lie. _I wonder what time it is…I don't want to be late. _Raising her wrist to eye-level and looking at her thin gold watch, she noted that it was almost 7:30. "Shit," she mumbled to herself, forcing her body into gear.

"Ya know…I know you're still in there!" House yelled from her office. "You can't hide forever!" He added sarcastically, "Well, at least that giant ass of yours can't!"

For once, House wasn't sure where he stood. Hiding in the bathroom was not normal protocol for Cuddy when they squabbled. Normally, he could count on her to put up a good fight, but ignoring him? That wasn't her. It was just preposterous…not to mention, no fun at all. He frowned, as if she could see him through the wooden door, and pulled a bobby pin from his pocket.

_Got to hurry; got to hurry._ Cuddy's mind was racing as she went to the sink, brushing her teeth roughly. _Brush, brush, brush, spit. Brush, brush, brush, spit. Brush, brush, brush, spit—rinse. _"Ah," she sighed aloud, smiling at her refection in the mirror. _Nice and clean._

Her next task was her make-up. The stuff she had on for work was too tame in comparison with her dress. She needed something that would really compliment the bright red color of it, so she went for smoky eyes, neutral cheeks, and just a pale touch of lipstick. _Don't want to overdo it, _she thought mildly. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was rather impressed. In less than five minutes, she was not only able to get her teeth sparkly clean, but also do a decent job in "putting her face on," so to speak.

Taking a long glance in the mirror, she assessed her hair, smoothing some of the curls. _Well, House didn't mess it up too much this morning…still styled pretty neatly…it'll have to do._

Shimmying out of her work clothes as quickly as possible, Cuddy folded them neatly and placed them carefully on the counter. Some would've said she had OCD. She preferred to call it being tidy. _Tom-a-to, tom-ah-to._

Finally, clad only in her underwear, stockings, and high heels, Cuddy trotted over to the door to collect her dress. Just as she was reaching up to unhook it from the hanger, however, the door swung wide open, sending her reeling backwards.

"JESUS!" she yelped, reaching for her work clothes on the counter in order to shield her body from the intruder. _Of course it's him, _she thought, glaring at the figure in the doorway. Still kneeling on the floor, House grinned broadly, for obvious reasons.

"Greg actually, but I can see how you'd be mistaken," he spoke silkily, clutching the doorframe for support as he rose clumsily to his feet. "Where's a camera when you need one?" he mused. She frowned at him, while he just continued to smirk.

If Cuddy had been shocked when the door had swung open on her, she was downright appalled as House entered the small bathroom and closed the door behind him, locking it once more. "What do you think you're doing?" she tried asking severely, but with her voice tainted with anxiety and uncertainty, it sounded much more like a plea.

Ignoring her, he moved closer, taking a step nearer to her with each word. "You. Don't. Want. That. Kid."

By the word "kid," House had effectively backed Cuddy into the far corner of the room. Her back was firmly pressed against the wall and House loomed over her, mere inches away. Still holding her clothing as a shield, she looked up into his face, surprised to find that his eyes were directly on hers and not anywhere else.

She cleared her throat nervously, trying ineffectively to frown at him, "So I've heard…but why do you care House? This doesn't involve you." She went for a glare this time. House just chuckled throatily at her attempt in intimidating him.

Noticing how she had provoked the wrong response, a growl forced its way from her clenched teeth, and Cuddy moved her hands to her hips, no longer caring what he saw.

"Oooh Cuddles," he stared at her chest, "you sex kitten you." The lack of a top gave him an even better view of the girls than he had this past morning. Her body was stunning...perfect hourglass figure, flat stomach, long, smooth legs…and her choice in lingerie wasn't helping either. Lacey black boy shorts that matched her bra. Stockings. Garter belts. High heels. Damn. House leant over her, hands braced on the walls on either side of her. He practically growled at her. "You shouldn't even bother with clothing anymore—not that what you normally wear leaves much to the imagination anyway."

She smiled slightly at the comment, knowing that it was his version of a compliment. Her mind, however, was on her impending date and the fact that if she didn't get moving, she was going to be late. With a sigh, she surrendered. _Hell, it isn't as if he hasn't seen it before. _Quickly ducking out from under his arm, she strode over to the door, reaching for her dress. She knew he was staring at her, his eyes focused upon her every move, but it had to be done. Lisa Cuddy was always prompt.

"Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round," House sang, not unappreciatively.

Ignoring him, Cuddy removed her dress from its hanger, sliding it slowly up her body. When she had the dress up, she sashayed over to him, smiling seductively. "Will you zip me up?" she asked innocently, turning around and pulling her hair out of the way.

House looked down. The zipper began at her underwear, ending at the middle of her back—very risqué. Cuddy felt it as he touched her lower back, sliding his hand along her smooth skin as he zipped up the dress, pausing when he was done. Looking over her shoulder at him, she shot him a smoldering glance, purring, "Thanks." With that, she walked out the door, leaving a stunned Gregory House in her wake.

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Seriously. If I ever update this again, I will get to the point. I just liked this juicy hotness and had to put it in. Yum, yum. You go after her House! XD LOL. 


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